The current trend in personal computers and workstations is to decrease the size and weight of the overall system, while increasing the performance at the same time. One problem is the precious acreage on the main chassis and the internal walls of the computer enclosure. Another issue in the placement of internal components and electronics, is the routing of interconnect cables and buses. Other issues to be dealt with are the cost of assembly, computer housing safety requirements, cost of individual components, weight of individual components, and structural support of the computer housing.
For example, modern personal computers and workstations generally have a power supply that is enclosed in its own sheet metal housing for safety purposes and then fastened via screws or plastic thumb rivets into the main chassis of the electronic enclosure, which increases the cost and weight of both the power supply and the final computer assembly. Power supply boards are generally secured by means of screws or a dedicated snap-fit. Fans for cooling the internal devices and electronics of the computer system are generally mounted to the main chassis or to a secondary fan support/guide ribs using mounting hardware of sheet metal and screws or similar fasteners. Also, one or more fan guards are required for safety reasons in most situations. Structural support of the computer enclosure, so that the monitor, printer or other component can be stacked on top of the computer without damaging the internal electronics, is usually obtained by adding one or more sheet metal walls to the inside of the computer enclosure, which increases the component and assembly cost, the design complexity, and difficulty in routing internal interconnect cables and buses. Channeling airflow through the computer enclosure in order to cool internal electronic components generally requires additional walls or baffles which has similar disadvantages as providing structural support for the computer enclosure. Prior methods for mounting speakers inside a computer enclosure have been to enclose the speaker with an acoustical baffle and mount the assembly to a front wall of the computer enclosure, which has the disadvantages of (1) requiring additional part for baffling, (2) requiring fastening hardware or snap-fit design which affects the design of several parts, and (3) taking up outside wall real estate which reduces the amount of airflow inlet or outlet area.
In general, there is a need to decrease the size and weight of computer and workstation assemblies, to optimize the use of internal real estate--especially housing wall real estate, and to decrease the cost of individual components and overall assembly. Each of these objectives must be obtained while maintaining or improving the safety requirements of the assembly, maintaining or improving the routing of interconnect cables and buses, maintaining or improving the airflow through the computer enclosure, and maintaining or improving the structural support of the computer housing.